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Spring
Spring Written by: Blazey Episode 4 c: sorry for the 1,000 year wait, if anyone is still reading this lmao. episode one, if you want to start over/get started. Spring " It only means their minds are moldable," says the massive cat looking down into a pit. " Is that good?" asks the squirrel perching on his shoulders. " Very." And with these final words the cat turns away from the pit. He stands in shadow, his features masked, showing only his silhouette and the squirrel's against the setting sun. Yet there is a euphoric tilt to his head, as though he is basking in an unseen breeze. " Well, Pond Swimmer?" the cat says. " What do you think? Vile, aren't they? Simply repulsive!" Four cats sit in front of him. They all look uncomfortable except for the silver female, who steps forwards, eyes snapping. " They are criminals." " Exactly!" the cat cries. " That is the point of this. Right now, you Clan cats see them go against everything you've been told is good. Honor, courage, nobility, and loyalty. But when I turn them over to you, they will be amazing- none will take bribes, none will lie... they will help you all win the war." The cats shift uneasily. The two toms exchange glances. The speaker cries out. " Don't tell me you're having second thoughts! I said I'd fine you 'lowlifes', and I have." " They're bad cats!" the largest tom bursts out. " To you, maybe, Forest Hunter, " the speaking tom growls. " Because they don't live by your morals. But I assure you, in several parts of the forest, they're perfectly fine. You can trust me. I will tailor them for you, cut them out of a new mold. You have nothing to worry about. I merely brought you here for a 'before and after' sort of deal." The one he called Forest Hunter sniffs and turns away. " Hurry up, then. The rogues have... compromised several parts of my territory." " Oakstar!" the silver female hisses, but the shadowed tom merely waves her concerns away. " I know this already," he says. " Which is why I am working quickly- that's why there are only five of them. It's spring- newleaf- is it not? You will have them by leaf-fall." Oakstar growls. " You'd better. That's one of my warriors." " I will. And precisely." There is a moment of silence, in which the tom senses he has appeased their concerns. " Hurry on, now," he urges them. " Your... warriors need you." The leaders don't seem to notice the jab. One by one they rise, cats with unimaginable power coursing through their veins. He marvels at how these four leaders stand at the zenith of an order so ancient even he doesn't remember when it began. He marvels at how he has managed to gather them in his paws. Shadow Lurker- the ginger female, the one who lives in the marshes- is the first to leave. Forest Hunter- all brawn and no brain- departs for his forest, and Hare Chaser departs for his moors. Only Pond Swimmer remains. He blinks in a satisfied way, approval and slight amusement in his heart. She's always been the most intelligent, this Minnowstar. As disagreeable as she is, she is hard to puzzle out. He might even like her, respect her even, in an odd sort of way. " Why do you care so much?" she says, fixing him in her scrutinizing stare. " About us winning. Why does it matter to you so much?" Ah. Suddenly, she hurts- her presence turns his bones to boiling water, his blood to freezing ice. He abruptly turns away, nearly dislodging poor Riu, and speaks to the dying sun. " The same reason you had children, my dear. You wanted to know what it felt like, caring for something." She says nothing (when has she ever?) and turns away. " We're trusting you, Odin." Odin hears her walk away, and looks down below at his only hope. Five parts of it, in fact. " I know," he says to the squirrel (because he would not dare call after her). " I know." ~ Ibis is not a light sleeper. She never has been. She never wakes at the slightest sound or sensation. This has landed her in several sticky situations, mostly because cats who wished her dead had an ample amount of time to sneak up on her. Her dream is one she's had countless time before. She's back with Gloria as fluffy, little helpless kit who believed Gloria could be her mother. Kit-Ibis wanders through the dream- hazy shapes popping in and out of her line of sight, loud colors and quiet smells. Gloria's face swoops into her vision. Tortoiseshell fur and brown eyes fill kit-Ibis's mind as Gloria speaks in a deep, vibrating rumble. Lost, little one? Yes, kit-dream-Ibis squeaks.'' I'm looking for my mother.'' Dream-Gloria purrs. Her brown eyes and tortoiseshell fur begin to melt into each other, becoming a spiraling whirl of color and confusion. Lost? the whirl calls, almost mockingly this time. Mama! dream-Ibis cries. I need my Mama! " Ibis?" a high-pitched squeak rips her out of her dream-filled sleep. Ibis is momentarily paralyzed as the face above her is that of a squirrel's- the last thing she expected to see. " That's me," she rumbles, standing up and shaking out her long fur. Ibis follows the long, steep slopes of her prison walls up with her eyes. They go on so far, it's as if they reach the sky. She looks back down at the tiny creature in front of her. His liquid, almond-shape eyes are bright, and his small head twitched. A talking squirrel. ''Ibis shakes her head, still not fully convinced the squirrel is real. " You were dreaming." Riu squeaks, head jerking side to side. " A bad dream." Ibis curls her lip. " And you know this how?" His words ring true and she hates that. ''Remember who you are, ''she scolds herself. ''That cool-as-ice assassin with a heart as hard as stone. Don't let this rodent get to you. '' " Your expression," the squirrel says evasively. " What were you dreaming about?" The squirrel stares at her, liquid eyes expectant. Ibis sighs. She's grown so lonely- though she'd never admit it- any company will do. When she's alone, she thinks, and when she thinks, she feels. " Someone I used to trust," she says, carefully measuring her words to prevent her voice from trembling. ''Lost, little one? '' Her heart squeezes. You idiot, she rebukes herself. Why does she always do this, open herself up and abandon the cold-as-ice exterior she has tried to craft for herself? To her surprise, the squirrel's expression becomes something akin to understanding. " You're hurting." Riu jumps up on her shoulder, and Ibis tries not to flinch. " I think that's why he picked you." " What do you mean?" Ibis says, twisting her head to look at him " They left you. I don't know who 'they' are, but you've been thrown aside too many times in your life." Riu chirps. " Your heart is bruised. You try to convince yourself you don't feel anything, but you do. And that makes you angry." " You're just a squirrel," Ibis snorts, shaking her fur out. " What do you know about anger and 'bruised hearts'"? Riu jumps to the floor and flicks his tail at her. " I know enough to see them in you." Riu's eyes stay on hers for a brief moment before he turns and scampers away. Ibis watches the squirrel turn and dart away. She lets out a long sigh and turns around to face the sleeping bodies around her. Frostwing, the Clan warrior, is curled up in a corner. She looks irritated and disgruntled in sleep, too, flattening her ears and twitched her nose at odd intervals. Nolan, the odd tom, sleeps so silently he might be dead. Those two aren't complex, Ibis decides. There's one key, one secret, to unlocking them both. The others are more interesting. Amanda, the tortoiseshell, who looks so innocent when she sleeps. But Amanda was able to escape the maze- how? Why is she different, better, even? Ibis frowns. And then Helios- the tom with 'scarlet eyes', as he is so often referred to. She's heard about him from many, who've asked her to track him down. But at the time she was too keen on putting as much distance between herself and Gloria her so called 'mother', so she didn't hunt him. " What?" a deep voice rumbles, and Ibis jumps. Helios is awake, and she hadn't realized her eyes were fixed on his face. " Nothing," Ibis says sharply, averse to being caught unawares. He merely looks amused and stands slowly, smoothing out his golden fur. " So, bounty hunter," he says, walking towards her. " I've been told to fear you, by many. But there really is nothing to be afraid of, is there?" " I wouldn't be so sure," Ibis growls, stepping forwards and cutting off his path. Her heart is pounding. She recognizes his play here- he's trying to make her lose her cool. He's trying to establish himself as the one in control. " I've killed cats more important than you." " Fool's talk," he dismisses, walking past her. " I know who you are. A so called 'assassin', but you're really a coward, aren't you? Do you ever look the cats you kill in the face?" Ibis takes a deep breath. " Do you do that to the cats you maim and kidnap?" Helios's eyes sparkle. " On occasion." Ibis waits for him to keep baiting her, but he says nothing. Her stomach turns unpleasantly. She hasn't said anything wrong but she knows in her heart that he won that confrontation. Ibis has never been good with words. Her claws itch. ''Let's see him dismiss me in a fight! '' Helios's gaze has moved on to the walls around them. " Would you say we have a chance at escape?" " Why ask me?" Ibis can't keep the petulance out of her voice. Hadn't he just written her off? " You're the only one awake." Helios rolls his eyes at her. " Answer." Ibis narrows her eyes. This tom is dangerous. She doesn't like the demanding tone or the apathetic attitude he has. She takes her time to answer, but Helios is good and doesn't let his impatience show. " These walls are too steep." " Any tunnels?" " None. I checked." " Positive?" Ibis opens her mouth to reply, but another voice cuts in. " Oh, she's quite right. There is no way out." She (and Helios, Ibis notes in delight) jumps. Standing behind her is a familiar-looking black tom with the brightest blue eyes she's ever seen. He looks scrawny and old, but there's something... odd about him. Like he shouldn't be here. His image seems to clash with the background of dirt wall behind him. Ibis looks away as her head begins to throb. " You," Helios's voice is full of shock. Ibis senses him step forwards. " You're-" "-yes," the black cat says quickly. " The mysterious cat you traded with. Very good." Ibis can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not. As she looks back up, the black tom moves past her towards the others. " Rise and shine!" he calls. " It's time to start the day!" Nolan wakes up first. His gaze is unfocused but it gradually sharpens, narrowing in on the black tom. An expression of shock flits across his face and with surprisingly fast reflexes, the tabby tom has risen to his feet and made a lunge for the black cat. Ibis widens her eyes as the black cat appears to simply ''shimmer, allowing Nolan's claws to pass right through him. The tom lands in a disgruntled heap on the ground. Did he really just do that? ''Ibis gapes, then shakes her head and writes it off as a delusion. " I know you!" Nolan spits, rising to his feet. He's trembling with pent up fury. " You kidnapped me." The black cat's blue eyes are sparkling with delight and he purrs, a nasty, shrill sound. " Excellent!" he crows. " This is so delightful, you all remember me!" And ''that's ''why he looks familiar, Ibis realizes. His eyes were the last thing she saw before she was knocked unconscious. Her fur begins to rise. " What do you want from us?" she demands, unsheathing her claws. Frostwing and Amanda have woken. The white Clan warrior narrows her eyes and hisses. The tortoiseshell, however, merely stares. Ibis frowns. Does Amanda know something she doesn't? The five cats slowly encircle the black tom. He looks unconcerned, merely swiveling his head to look at them each in turn. When his gaze meets hers, Ibis feels a shock run through her body. She quickly rips her gaze away, heart pounding in terror and surprise. " Name yourself," Helios rumbles. The other cats hiss in agreement. The tom in the middle merely flicks an ear. Slowly, he rises to his feet and arches his back. He turns to face Helios and bares his teeth, revealing gleaming white fangs. " I don't like being ordered around," he says mildly, eyes sparkling. He looks at ease and on the verge of laughter, as if the whole situation is enormously funny to him. " But just this once, I'll comply." He throws his head back and yowls out to the sky. " I am Odin!" ''Odin... Odin... ''the walls chant backwards. Even though it is simply an echo, Ibis feels chills run down her spine all the same. Despite her dislike for him, Ibis turns to look at Helios. She finds similar discomfort in his expression as well. No one speaks. Their hesitation is tangible- all wish for someone else to speak first. ''I should say something, ''she thinks, but doesn't. Her job is to assess the situation, not dive in. But if she doesn't speak Helios might, and she doesn't want to give him more oppurtunities to lead. She opens her mouth to speak but another voice cuts in. " Odin," Amanda says, narrowing her eyes. She sounds unimpressed and skeptical. " Right. Are you going to continue the theatrics, or will you tell us what's really going on?" Odin turns to block Ibis's view of Amanda's expression. " Such fire! Such ''spunk! ''I like you already, my Amanda. And you're quite right, I must cut to the chase." Odin turns around, sweeping them all briefly in his gaze before doing a little hop of excitement. " I hope you all had a nice time in my maze. I didn't know if you'd go through with all my tasks but you did! ''You did! ''You are terrible, horrible, worse than I'd imagined. You peformed so well! I'm so proud!" Ibis turns to look at Helios again. He looks at her and rolls his eyes- ''can you believe this? ''She shakes her head. " So that maze was your doing," Helios growls. " So you could do- what?" " Let's put it this way..." Odin's tail swishes side to side. " This is an experiment. Purely for my own benefits. I wanted to see what would happen when I brought the vilest cats in the forest together-" Frostwing lets out a yowl. " I'm not going to be part of your sick experiment!" Nolan hisses in agreement. Ibis nods and unsheathes her claws. " You've had you fun," Ibis tells him, trying not to flinch when his eyes meet hers. " Now, let the 'vilest cats in the forest' go." " No," Odin says simply. " I'm not finished. There are still several stages to go. That maze was just the diagnostic." " Let us out," Helios spits, crouching down. " Let us out, or we kill you." Odin doesn't react to the threat. He shakes his head and sighs. " If you kill me, Helios, you will never know how to escape." " We'll find our own way," Helios replies. Odin's gaze hardens. " My, my, you are difficult. Do you see this hole? Do you see any tunnels leading in? I'm sure you've checked thorougly. Have you found any?" Helios just stares. " No," Ibis offers, hoping he'll let something slip. " Good. Look at the angle of the walls. Can you climb them?" Ibis shakes her head. " They are too steep and the dirt is soft, it gives way under paws." " Excellent!" Odin cries, genuinely sounding proud. He turns to face the others, leaving Ibis to stare down at her paws as four pairs of eyes fix on her. " And I'll have you know that Ibis is a master at escape. If she says no, the answer is clearly no." There are some murmurs, but few. Ibis feels a prick of pride... clearly, she does have a reputation. " I'm glad you have all come to your senses," Odin says, voice slightly sharp. " Now! You only have one option left... earn your freedom in return for playing along in my experiment. I won't harm you. I'm simply going to put you through a few tasks to teach you lessons I deem important. When you have completed these tasks, I will allow you to gain your freedom. But that's not all. If you perform them well, I will give you something you all desire." Ibis pricks her ears, but Helios snorts. " I don't need power or prestige." Odin's lips curl. " It's not just that, Helios." " Then what is it?" " Your greatest desire." Odin makes one one sweep of the circle with his eyes. " Selene," he whispers, and every muscle in Helios's body tightens. ''What? '' " Pawsteps," Odin says, slightly louder. Amanda's ears prick. " Juniper." A strangled sound comes from Nolan's throat. " Wings." Frostwing's eyes narrow. " Gloria." Something crashes into Ibis's chest. She closes her eyes and digs her nails into the dirt. ''Don't don't don't ''but she can feel the hot tears pressing against her eyelids ''don't cry don't you dare cry ''but ''Lost, little one? Don't be scared! Be strong, be strong. I'm your Mama now. I'm your Mama now. '' " Yes," Odin says softly, and when she opens her eyes she's staring into the purest blue eyes, full of energy, crackling with light and power that surges into her veins and makes her heart thrum with new vigor. " All this I can give you, if only you comply." " I would do anything for her," Helios says, voice ragged and soft. " Anything. You have my word." " Mine as well," says Amanda. " I will join your experiment," says Nolan. " Me too," Frostwing echoes. All eyes are on Ibis now, she knows it. " Come, Bounty Hunter," Odin says quietly. " Help me, and I will heal you." ''Lost, little one? Be strong, don't be scared, I'm your Mama. '' " I will," Ibis croaks, ashamed of how frail her voice sounds. " You have my word." " Good." Odin's voice is kind and sweet. " I leave you now, but tomorrow morning we will commence." Ibis doesn't look up, but she knows he's gone. His presence seems to take away the last of her self-control. She lets out a violent sob and begins to shake with the effort from holding herself up. ''How dare you show weakness, how dare you cry? ''But Gloria's face looms in her vision, he tortoiseshell fur, her warm eyes, her lavender scent, her rich purr and fish-breath. ''I'm proud of you, my bird, ''she whispers. ''Proud of me... ''Proud of you? ''her expression morphs into rage, into disgust, as though Ibis is a piece of half-eaten freshkill. ''I wish you'd died that day! I wish you'd frozen to death before I laid eyes on you! I wish your mother had finished the job! '' Ibis hears something thump on the ground next to her. She looks up, eyes blurry with unshed tears, and sees Helios sitting beside her. He looks at her, infamous scarlet eyes full of deep pain. He doesn't come closer, he doesn't say a word, but she fels something click into place between them. He knows. He understands. She looks around at the five cats, still sitting in the circle though Odin is long gone. Ibis locks eyes with all of them and feels a tug in her chest. These cats, all five liars, cheats, and killers, are bonded through the pain they share. No words are exchanged, no physical contact is made. They simply stare. But deep in her heart, Ibis a pressure begin to ease. For the first time in countless moons, she is not alone. ~ Odin watches from above. The golden sun sets behind his back, the last rays gently running through his dark fur. His blue eyes are flecked with fire in the dying day as he watches the seeds of his idea begin to bloom. He sees Helios, the Bidder, the sun so lonely without his moon approach the bounty hunter, the bird with clipped wings. " Good." He murmurs, feeling the warm rush of satisfaction course through his veins. ''" Excellent." '' Tomorrow will begin the 'real' lessons, the ones they can see. But these little moments in the inbetween are what really matters. He has started to create a bond between them, started to make them a team. Slowly, the urge to betray is being weakened and dulled. Odin turns around where Riu, his faithful friend, awaits. " Everything is going smoothly. Tomorrow, we will bring the wolves." ''End. '' Category:Warriorfan123's Fan fics Category:Heroes (show) Category:WFW 1 Category:Action